Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Purchased by Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C.

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. boosted its stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 23.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 216,612 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 41,777 shares during the quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. owned about 0.57% of Pool worth $73,852,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of POOL. Waterloo Capital L.P. grew its stake in Pool by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 635 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $216,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Pool by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,122 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $383,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Pool by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 579 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $197,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Pool by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 17,578 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $5,993,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Pool by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 714 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $243,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pool Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of POOL stock traded up $1.68 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $293.01. 180,195 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 382,238. The company has a market cap of $11.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13. The company's 50-day moving average price is $322.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $343.91. Pool Co. has a 12 month low of $284.28 and a 12 month high of $395.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.42 by ($0.10). Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The business had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.85 EPS. Pool's revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Pool's dividend payout ratio is 45.03%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

POOL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on Pool from $370.00 to $322.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Pool in a report on Friday. Stephens dropped their price objective on shares of Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Pool in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $344.00 price objective for the company. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $336.22.

Insider Activity at Pool

In related news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total value of $385,245.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,667 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,045,105. The trade was a 11.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $346.00, for a total transaction of $3,460,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at $21,651,642. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Pool

Pool Corporation distributes swimming pool supplies, equipment, and related leisure products in the United States and internationally. The company offers maintenance products, including chemicals, supplies, and pool accessories; repair and replacement parts for pool equipment, such as cleaners, filters, heaters, pumps, and lights; and building materials, such as concrete, plumbing and electrical components, functional and decorative pool surfaces, decking materials, tiles, hardscapes, and natural stones for pool installations and remodeling.